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2 Investigators: Is White Suburb A Traffic Trap For Minorities?

CHICAGO (CBS) – Evergreen Park is not a big town, yet its police officers stop more motorists than just about any other suburb in Cook County.

Meanwhile, even though most of Evergreen Park’s residents are white, minorities account for a majority of these traffic stops.

“You have to be careful driving in Evergreen Park,” said one motorist recently pulled over in the 3-square mile suburb.

The south suburb’s police stopped just under 94,000 motorists from 2012 to 2016, records show. It’s a staggering number compared with nearby towns, such as Oak Lawn (48,995 stops); Alsip (16,618); and Hometown (4,746).

Police officers in Illinois must record the ethnicity of every driver they stop, thanks to legislation co-sponsored by former President Barack Obama, back in 2003 when he was an Illinois state senator.

That data, submitted each year to the Illinois Department of Transportation, shows a startling divide in who gets pulled over in Evergreen Park.

About 74 percent of Evergreen Park’s 20,000 residents are white. Yet, 67 percent of stops last year involved minority drivers.

In a statement, Saunders says traffic stops help reduce crime and accidents. He denies his officers are engaging in biased policing, noting all of his officers wear body cameras, and minorities make up a quarter of his force. Read his full statement here.